2021 Editions

Read all about living “Your Best Life,” the theme of this issue. Someone who’s spent time on the road is musician Neil Giraldo, featured on our cover. Boomer’s pop culture columnist Mike Olszewski met Neil years ago when Mike worked for WMMS. He brings us up to date with the Cleveland-area native, his life with wife Pat Benatar, his thoughts about the Rock Hall, and his latest venture.

We also have a story about folks who have the enthusiasm and ability to turn lowly grape juice into fine wines, a grandparents’ section featuring an article on how to pass along your family values through the generations, a timely article on groundbreaking Alzheimer’s research taking place in Northeast Ohio… and so much more!

Finally, tell us about someone in Northeast Ohio who has made a difference in the lives of people aged 50+. Have they created a product? Solved a problem? Improved living conditions for older adults? Supported grandparents raising grandkids? Tell us. We want to recognize them through our Boomer Impact Awards, which we’ll announce in our November/December issue. Go to northeastohiothrive.com for details or email editor Marie Elium at [email protected]. Nominations are now open. 

...

Whether you live nearby or far away, you hold a special position in your grandchildren’s lives. Especially as they enter teen years and adulthood, members of each new generation sort out their identities and values, often in opposition to their parents. But grandparents can hold unique influence over their beloved grandchildren.  ...

Too many times, adult children struggle – not only with the grief of losing a parent – but also in putting together the financial puzzle their parents may have left for them. Unlike a puzzle that comes with the picture to solve, children often are left with pieces that don’t seem to fit together and are both frustrating and costly to manage. ...

Many of us in the Boomer generation grew up in an area that did not have fluoridated water, ate foods with lots of sugar, drank pop (soda if you're from the East Coast) and may not have had regular care growing up — especially those of us from large families. This may have left us with fewer teeth, spaces, or very large and breakable silver fillings. So what can we do, now that we're over 50? ...

Summer is, unbelievably, half over. A Christmas in July party may become your family’s new and much-anticipated summer tradition. Ho-ho-ho and Merry Christmas in July! ...

What’s the best thing about learning to grill? It’s getting the experience by doing it, and with the repetition of grilling comes the repetition of eating yummy food, often outdoors. Sounds like a great summer activity if you ask me, but let’s review a few basics that even experienced backyard grillmasters often overlook. ...

After 16 months of staying home (and feeling guilty when I didn’t), my feet and the rest of me are restless to leave. And because it’s summer, I feel the urge to resurrect the vacation road trip. It’s in my DNA. Our family vacation was a summer mainstay when I was young. My parents packed four kids into the station wagon and headed off to show us the world — and the world then meant anywhere accessible by interstate. ...

Are you occasionally annoyed by your forgetfulness? Change starts with awareness; then you can begin to modify habits that no longer work for you. And, as always, play these brain games to stay sharp! ...